Big Girl is losing weight! Help me!

[RhodeIslandRed5]

For those of you who might remember my pullet Big Girl who sprained her leg, now something else is wrong. Her limp has really improved, but she has lost a lot of weight! I don't think she's eating. She feels so light when I pick her up, and she's bony. She also looks pale. What do I do??? My mother won't let me give her any boiled egg because she gripes and says chickens shouldn't eat eggs or they'll start eating their own eggs. What can I give her that will put meat on her bones? I've already spent 224 dollars on her leg issue, so no more vet visits unless it's to put her down if nessescary. I'm at the end of my rope, we're all stressed out because I cannot find my girls a home, my step-dad is building the coop wrong 'cause he's stupid.

 

[azygous]

You and I both know that feeding a chicken a cooked egg will in no way cause them to become egg molesters. That will no more be an issue than feeding cooked chicken to a flock and having them suddenly start to eat one another on the hoof.

Have you watched your hen with the others at the feeder? If she was away from the flock for any length of time during her leg injury, it's possible she's lost her rank in the pecking order and now she's being bullied away from getting enough food to keep weight on her.

That's a problem to solve first. She may need some rehabbing to restore her self confidence. Meanwhile, you can feed her canned mackerel or tuna for some heavy duty protein and calories.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

No, I pretty much kept her with the other four while she was injured, but I didn't think about her being pushed away. I don't have time to stand around and watch my chickens eat. I'll try to keep my eye on them. We don't have any canned fish. I'll try to talk my mother into letting me cook her an egg. (My mother isn't the type to say: 'they're yours, you do what you think is best.' She's like, 'you need to do it or not do it this way because I read it somewhere.')

 

[Eggcessive]

Why don’t you take part in the coop building or do it yourself the way you want it? You have mentioned and criticized your step dad a lot in other threads, and that your mom won’t permit this or that, but you seem like you may need to start to do these things on your own and be assertive about why, and back it up with info. Many of us gave you advice not to spend the money on the vet earlier, but you don’t always take advice. I am not being critical, but I would think that you could fix a scrambled egg, chop it up, and feed her half today and half tomorrow. Fix and small portion of wet chicken feed for her later. Tuna, and salmon are good in small amounts. Chickens this time of year tend to be starting to molt, and they may have pale combs, stop laying and lose a little weight. Mine certainly are starting, and they become aloof and eat much less than usual. They will eat treats, but nit their usual feed in normal amounts. You can also weigh her occasionally to see if she is continuing to lose.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

Oh, how do you go about restoring a chickens confidence if that's what's wrong?

 

[azygous]

Oh, how do you go about restoring a chickens confidence if that's what's wrong?

Read about how here. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

 

[Brady bunch]

With our chickens some may not eat because they are being picked on by others. I either but food in two dishes. This way if others are not letting her eat she can eat in the other dish. Our chickens love eating fish and it is really healthy for them. How many other chickens do you have?

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

I have five RIR's. They all grew up together since I bought them at Tractor Supply on April 22nd of this Spring. Big Girl was one of my heaftiest. She had sprained her leg bad, and my mother kept telling me she needed to be put down 'cause she was limping so bad. So I had to take her to the vet to have him confirm her leg wasn't dislocated. It's been about a month since the visit and her limp has gotten much better. But now she's gotten puny and seems kinda blah. I weighted my girls on the 17th. She was the least at 2lb 12oz. I will weigh her again tonight.

 

[Brady bunch]

I am very sorry about what happened to your hen. I hope that she will get better.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

Believe me, I'd love to be assertive with my mother. But she's super assertive, which means do it her way or prepare to be griped at. My mother has even tried to tell me how to do my garden before. I am the type who likes to certain do things my own way, at my own pace. Other times I ask for help(it depends on the situation). I admit, I am stubborn. I got it from my mother who got it from her mother who got it from both her parents. However, I'm not as bad as my mother on some things. My mother doesn't like to read instruction books to stuff. I do. She also doesn't respect my privacy. I could never keep a diary because of her. She always wanted to know what I was writing. Not that was writing anything dirty or bad, I just enjoyed writing my personal thoughts, and what I did that day. But I still wanted it to be own private thing. But I ended up giving up writing a diary years ago. However I've tried starting a diary again on my computer this year. Now what happens? .....'what are you typing?'. It's like she's suspicious of me. I think that is step-dad's fault. He's done things that he shouldn't behind my mother's back for.... for about 13? 15? years now and that caused her to have a suspicious nature. I want to apologize for complaining about my personal life.